Doeren's Mindset on Bowl Season Helps Wolfpack Get Final Win
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TAMPA, Fla. — As NC State prepared for the Gasparilla Bowl, head coach Dave Doeren was asked about the changing views of bowl season as entire programs opted out of participating in bowls. Doeren, now finished with his 13th season in Raleigh, viewed the games, even the ones outside of the College Football Playoff, as a reward.
"To me, that's throwing in the towel, and that's just not how I'm built. I don't like the word opt out, like in life, period," Doeren said before the game.
Earned it Coach 🤝#1Pack1Goal pic.twitter.com/caBS1fWjMO
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) December 20, 2025
Just over a week after making that comment, Doeren's Wolfpack squad, which had only one key starter opt out, dominated Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl 31-7. While the win on the field helped NC State snap a lengthy losing streak in the postseason, it also proved Doeren's feelings about the program's culture right.
Finishing the fight
The Wolfpack embodied the mindset of its head coach in the win over the Tigers. The offense attacked early and built a lead for a defense that looked like a completely different group over the last month and a half of the season. Stars who could've walked away chose to finish what they started back in August.
"I'm proud of our team. There's a lot of people not playing in games... We had everyone else," Doeren said after the win. "Look at (Justin) Joly, you look at (Brandon) Cleveland, Caden (Fordham), these seniors in a lot of places aren't doing it. I can't explain how much that makes me feel special that these guys want to play for each other one more time."
Joly, the team's leading receiver in terms of touchdowns, stuck out to Doeren the most after the win. The tight end has a bright future at the professional level and likely knew that coming into the 2025 season. He improved as a leader and as a player, boosting his ability as a blocker after lacking that skill in his junior year.
"These guys want to play for each other one more time, like Joly was crying in the locker room before the game because he just wanted to play one more time with his brothers, and he wanted coach (Gavin) Locklear to coach him one more time," Doeren said. " And so that's our culture, the love that these kids have for each other."
While many of the same faces won't be back for the 2026 season, Doeren still believes the win in the Gasparilla Bowl will only help drive the Wolfpack forward in the coming year.
"All the guys that return will have the experience of the offseason under their belt, and what it took to win this game," Doeren said. They'll understand how we prepared, and they'll understand the process we went through. And that is valuable. You can't replace experience as a coach. The experience they have here will carry forward to the next time we're in a postseason game."
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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